IceHogs announce season opener

The Rockford IceHogs today announced they will host their 2018-19 home opener on Saturday, Oct. 13 against the Texas Stars at 6 p.m. at the BMO Harris Bank Center. The contest is a rematch of last season’s Western Conference Finals in which the IceHogs and Stars battled to a Game 6 in the 2018 Calder Cup playoffs.

Saturday’s contest will also be fans’ first chance to see the full IceHogs roster in action at home in the 2018-19 season. The IceHogs finished second in the Western Conference in home wins and third in winning percentage at home during the 2017-18 campaign.

As part of the festivities, the first 4,000 fans in attendance will receive a free IceHogs calendar, courtesy of Impact Networking. The calendar is complete with the Hogs’ full schedule for the 2018-19 season and will be available to fans as they arrive at the BMO Harris Bank Center for Saturday’s game.

The IceHogs will release their full 2018-19 regular-season schedule on Wednesday, July 11. The 2018-19 season is the Hogs’ 20th season of professional hockey and 12th as the primary AHL affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks. Overall, 106 IceHogs alumni have skated in the NHL since Rockford’s inaugural season.